Moving beyond DSM5 and ICD11: Acoustic Analysis for Psychological Stress on Daily-Wage Workers in India during COVID19

Abstract

Aim: To observe psychological stress in the acoustic samples of daily-wage workers belonging to different states in IndiaMethod: The study was based on the observations obtained from prior work on detecting psychoacoustic detectors of psychological stress. Acoustic samples were obtained from interviews conducted by NDTV over a period of March-May 2020. Spectrogram and Fundamental Frequency variations were used to identify psychological stressResults: Stark differences existed in mean fundamental frequency plots by daily-wage workers and non-stressed individuals. Distinct density variations were also observed in the acoustic samples between the two groups.Conclusion: Psychoacoustic detectors of psychological stress were confirmed in the acoustic samples of daily wage-workers, concluding that daily-wage workers are under dire psychological stress and are susceptible to stress-related disorders.Keywords: psychological stress, acoustic variations, daily-wage workers